The risk of a pregnant woman developing gestational diabetes – hyperglycemia during the time nearing childbirth, as a result of less insulin from pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction – is affected by the sex of the fetus, suggests a 4-year study of hundreds of thousands of women. Published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, one of […]
Report Shows The Mammary Gland ‘Remembers’ Prior Pregnancy, Spurring Milk Production
Anecdotal reports of nursing mothers have long suggested that giving milk is a lot easier in second and subsequent pregnancies, compared with a first pregnancy. Now, researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) are able to explain why. Their work shows the mammary gland forms a long-term memory of pregnancy that primes it to respond […]
Study Shows Breast Cancer Less Likely To Recur In Women With History Of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is associated with a 30% overall decreased risk of breast cancer recurrence among women who have previously had one subtype of the disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The team behind the new study, from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA, claims that […]
Study Shows Ovary Removal Linked With 62% Reduction In BRCA1- Related Breast Cancer Deaths
Women who carry either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have a 70% likelihood of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, as well as high risks of second primary breast and ovarian cancers if they do develop breast cancer. Researchers from the Women’s College Research Institute in Toronto, Canada, set out to confirm these previous observations, studying a group of […]
Study Shows Divorce May Raise The Risk Of Heart Attack
Compared with women who are continuously married, those who have been divorced may be at significantly higher risk of heart attack. This is the finding of a new study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes – a journal of the American Heart Association. Heart attack risk appeared to increase with multiple divorces; women who had been […]
Contraceptive Implant Use Among US Teens Is On The Rise
The Centers for Disease Control and Womens Health Center (CDC) have reported that the use of long acting reversible contraception – intrauterine devices and contraceptive implant – by 15-19-year-olds in the US has increased, although use of this form of contraception is still relatively low in comparison with other less reliable forms. Long-acting reversible contraception […]
FDA Approves LILETTA – Levonorgestrel Releasing Intrauterine System
Actavis plc, a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company, and Medicines360, a nonprofit women’s health pharmaceutical company, have announced the approval of LILETTA (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by women to prevent pregnancy for up to three years. LILETTA is placed in the uterus by a healthcare professional […]
Over The Past Decade IUDs And Hormonal Implants Have Become Five Times As Popular
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report finds a shift in preferences for birth control among American women, who are increasingly opting for long-lasting reversible contraceptives. Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) include intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subdermal hormonal implants. Although IUDs were used more commonly in the US during the 1970s, concerns over their […]
Research Shows Girls Who Drink Sugary Drinks Every Day May Start Periods Early
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been associated with increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Now, a new study finds girls who frequently drink such beverages are likely to start menstruation earlier than those who do not consume sugary drinks, potentially putting them at higher risk of breast cancer. The research team, led by […]
Mouse Model Discovers Two Genes Behind The Most Severe Form Of Ovarian Cancer
In a new study reported in the journal Nature Communications, cancer researchers describe how they developed a mouse model of a very aggressive ovarian cancer that accurately portrays the disease as it occurs in humans. The model has helped them identify two mutated genes whose interaction appears to trigger, then hasten, the development of the […]
